Scottish Reprise- Return to East Stirling

[Faramir]

29.9.07

East Stirling (3) Queen of the South (1)

It was an important match for us as we managed to defeat the club immediately above us in the table- with a strong 3-1 win. Kenny McLean got us going in the opening moments when he snapped home a shot from inside the six-yard box after a long centering pass from Mick O'Brien bobbled through. Queen answered that goal with Dene Shields scoring on the 2nd rebound after we failed to support Steven van der Deyl by clearing away the ball after he made two difficult saves. We went to the dressing room happy as we retook the lead late in the half as O'Brien threaded a pass through to James Flood and he wheeled and smashed it past Gareth Bough. The match was still up for grabs in the second half- with us missing both Flood and Gary Twigg due to minor injuries- when Michele Lombardi chipped in with his 1st goal since arriving to put the match beyond doubt.

***

3.10.07

Division 2 Table after 9 matches played

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1= Queens Park 20 pts (+7)

2- Raith 18 pts (+8)

3- East Stirling 17 pts (+8)

4- Hamilton 17 pts (+6)

5- Queen of South 14 pts (+5)

6- Stirling 13 pts (-4)

</pre>

[Faramir]

9.10.07

It was very exciting news to hear that Steve Lewis had been called up to the Scotland Under-21 side for their next match against Moldova. Lewis was really surprised and excited to receive word (and happy that he had received the call thanks to greater exposure since he had come here).

***

13.10.07

East Stirling (2) Hamilton (3)

A second half collapse on defense doomed us as we fell to Hamilton 3-2 in an important match. James Flood got us off to a great start when he scored midway through the first half- drilling his 5th of the season past Peter Shaw. Shaw got hot after that goal and though we had great chances, it wasn't until a late consolation goal by Gary Twigg that we managed to ding him again. James MacArthur made a dazzling move past Mick O'Brien and Adrian Nevins to score and even things going to halftime. Hamilton then did us in when they scored two goals in a three minute stretch early in the second half. Simon Lappin deflected a corner past Steven van der Deyl- who had a difficult match- to gain the lead. Simon Lynch then skipped past Adrian Nevins and flicked a header over van der Deyl to gain them a two goal lead. We just lost our focus for a few minutes and that is death when facing a club the caliber of Hamilton.

[Faramir]

15.10.07

I was rather disturbed with the chemistry in the dressing room and decided we needed to take action. Despite the talent of Gary Twigg and John Paul McBride- they are both grousing over not being regular starters. Given that and the fact they are the two top wage players- I transfer listed both of them and will see if we can find them clubs where they would be happier. Mitchell Murphy joins them on the list as he has been a headache since placement on the Reserves. There may be more to come as I try to pare the club a bit of both high wages that aren't doing it for us and unhappy players.

***

16.10.07

The press, of course, are having a field day with my decisions. "Bloodbath in the Shire" was one of the gentler headlines out there as there was much criticism of my transfer listing two talented players that had just arrived. The players themselves also were complaining of being brought in on false pretences. I issued a lot of 'no comments', but I feel this is the correct course to really bring equilibrium back to our side. If we wanted to contend this season, I felt this was what we had to do- consequences be dammed.

[Faramir]

20.10.07

Peterhead (2) East Stirling (1)

Same refrain, different day for us as we lost another frustrating match 2-1 to Peterhead. We controlled the flow of the play for much of the match, but could not finish things off, while they managed to get two goals in their limited chances. Paddy Gamble in their net came up with several remarkable saves, while Mark Peat in ours couldn't make the big saves we needed. We outshot them 15-6 for the match, but wind up the losers as they made us pay dearly for our defensive mistakes. Graeme Sharp gave them the early lead when he snuck on to the back post to flick a header past Peat. James Flood pegged them back immediately when he headed a cross from Marc Cameron past Gamble. They took the halftime lead as hit us with a counterattack after a corner in their end and a long pass from Matthew Doherty picked out Chris Boulton with plenty of space to line up and blast a shot past Peat inside the left post. Even when Boulton was sent off midway through the second half, we just could not seem to take advantage of them. We are a better side than this, though we haven't shown it of late. I am getting a little tired of seeing our opponents recording 'fortuitous wins'- we are playing well enough to gain better results, but aren't making the big play or finishing well.

[Faramir]

21.10.07

It seems a bit melodramatic of me to say so- but we are at a crossroads of our season. Even though we are just over 1/4 of the way in the schedule, the club wasn't playing to my expectations and our recent run is indicative of that. I must take the blame for this, since it was my acquisitions that seemed to have upset the chemistry we had last season. That is why I decided to pull the trigger early and see if we can shed some players. We need to get back to the tight core that worked hard and knew how to win close matches. I do have to say we aren't getting the quality of keeping that we received last season, but that would just be an excuse- because if we execute we certainly win some of these matches we have lost of late. The midfield is where I need to sort out the most, but I also have to make some decisions on forwards and who exactly our 'core' players are.

***

27.10.07

East Stirling (2) Stranraer (0)

We badly needed a win and this certainly was the match to try and get it as Stranraer was struggling coming into the match. It certainly wasn't our best performance, as we leaned heavily on Steven van der Deyl and he came up big with three huge saves. Our backline wasn't as steady as usual in support. Offensively, we proved very opportunistic today. Steve McDonald got us into the lead when he pressured keeper Jim Evans and Evans lost control of the ball outside the area. McDonald picked it up and moved past him before zipping it into the open net to earn us a 1-0 lead at half. We moved ahead 2-0 when Paul Weaver boomed a 20 yard blast past Evans following a corner. We worked hard defensively with our lead today and that helped van der Deyl close the door on his clean sheet.

[Faramir]

3.11.07

Alloa (1) East Stirling (4)

It was very pleasing to finally see us hitting on all cylinders again as we tromped on Alloa 4-1 to disappoint the faithful at Recreation Park. James Flood got us off on a flyer when he smashed a half-volley past Grant Carson after to finish a great pass from Steve McDonald. Alloa got back to even when our old mate- Mark Batty- scored an 'excuse me' goal as his mishit header floated over an anguished Steven van der Deyl. We leapt back into the attack and Mitchell Cole was forced to pull down Flood in the area. McDonald converted the penalty kick for his 5th goal of the season and gave us a 2-1 lead into halftime. We wanted to keep the pressure on them and that paid off when Steve Lewis, on for tiring McDonald, slipped a pass through to Adam Tiran and he snaked a shot past Carson inside the left post for his 1st goal at East Stirling. Lewis then capped the scoring off as he blasted a low shot past Carson for his 5th goal of the season. Lee Sichi earned his 2nd consecutive MOM honour as he seems to be shaking off his early season malaise with a series of stellar performances.

***

4.11.07

Hamilton upset Kilmarnock 3-1 in extra timme to capture this season's Challenge Cup.

[Faramir]

10.11.07

Danny Black earned another cap, his 5th, for New Zealand as he has now worked his way on as regular rightback for the National side. That does spur my thinking- if we get a shot at another excellent center defender- it might be worth it and then I would move Danny to the rightback slot.

***

12.11.07

Rangers made the interesting choice of selecting Glenn Hoddle as their new Manager. They are definitely under a lot of pressure to improve their play- which has been indifferent this season.

***

14.11.07

Danny Black started again for New Zealand as they fell to Bahrain 1-0. Danny admitted that he hadn't played all that well in the match. I didn't mind him playing the entire match as our next match is against non-league parttimers Gala Fairydean in the first round of the Scottish Cup and we won't be featuring any of our 1st line players.

[Faramir]

17.11.07

Gala Fairydean (0) East Stirling (3) Scottish Cup 1st round

Gala Fairydean came in as heavy underdogs and we didn't allow them any time to believe that they might stay with us in the match. Michele Lombardi took a nice layoff pass from Steve Lewis and slotted it past keeper Mark Lynch into the left side of the net to give us a lead in the early moments of the match. Stephen Hindmarch added to our lead with his 1st goal of the season when he deflected a long cross from Lombardi past Lynch midway through. Lombardi made it a brace when he skinned slightly injured defender Chris Campbell and then fired a rising shot over the sprawling Lynch to give us a 3-0 halftime lead. We didn't play with the same intensity in the second half and the home side demonstrated a little offense as they tested Mark Peat- but Peat stood firm in the net and we closed out a nice clean sheet that will move us on to the 2nd round of the competition.

[Faramir]

21.11.07

East Stirling (1) Queens Park (1)

We deserved a better fate in the match, but our failure to clear away a loose ball from our area cost us dearly as they converted it into the goal that allowed them to salvage a 1-1 draw at Firs Park. After Sam Williams knocked in their third try at the goal to give them the lead, we managed to answer when John Armstrong was called for pushing Steve McDonald in the area. McDonald calmly converted the penalty kick past Craig Smith to equalize. The loss of James Flood to injury early haunted us as Steve Lewis didn't have his magic today and missed two sitters that could have gained us the lead. Smith made good saves on McDonald and also on Ross O'Donoghue as we kept the pressure up, but could never gain the lead.

[Faramir]

24.11.07

Stenhousemuir (0) East Stirling (3)

Stenhousemuir was struggling and received no breaks from us in this derby matchup as we survived an early second half redcard to Danny Black to win out 3-0 in a superb road victory. Despite playing without several first liners- due to fitness problems after the Queens Park match, we put up a fine showing. Mick O'Brien blasted a free kick off the inside of the right post to give us the lead in the opening moments of the match. We continued to pressure them, but they also had some fine chances that Steven van der Deyl had to be sharp on as we maintained our lead at halftime. Black was sent off for a hard tackle early in the second half, but we turned that into an advantage when Mark Gourlay found Michele Lombardi breaking free on a long through ball. Lombardi outmanuevered two defenders and then fired a sharp angled shot past Nick Baxter inside the right post for a magnificent goal. With the lead and only 10 men, we played conservatively- until John Robertson received his 2nd yellow card late in the half. Adam Tiran deserved a goal for his fine play today and had barely missed scoring twice before he actually did- and he flicked a header into the right side of the net on a cross from Andrew Reilly to cap a strong effort in our win.

[Faramir]

1.12.07

The warnings of Brendan O'Connell reminded me to offer a new contract to leftback Ryan Carr. Carr has really started playing well and has been taking playing time from Mark Gourlay. I also offered Lee Wilson a contract as a backup, but I don't know if he is willing to accept that role on our club. The players whose contracts are expiring that I didn't offer new contracts to are: Iain Diack, Paul Moss, Hugh Davidson, Paul O'Brien and Steven Dymock. I would like to re-sign Mark Peat, but he stated he would like to move on to another club where he can be the number 1 keeper- and with Steven van der Deyl back in form, it is clear that what he wants won't happen here.

It was great news to see Adam Tiran was awarded the Division 2 Young Player of the Month for December. Adam is developing nicely and O'Connell took me aside to mention that he thought Adam had immense talent (something I believed before we signed him). Mick O'Brien finished 3rd in the Player of the Month balloting.

***

1.12.07

Queen of the South (1) East Stirling (2)

In a key match as we approach the midseason mark, we turned chances into goals in the first half and then hung on against their determined rally in the second half to record a nice 2-1 win at Palmerston Park. We carved out a first half lead thanks to nice finishing. Steve McDonald sent a snappy cross and Michele Lombardi showed great touch as he flicked it inside the left post for his 5th goal of the season and an early lead. Lombardi returned the favor with a deft pass that found McDonald with space in the area. McDonald whistled a rising shot past Colin Stewart to earn us a 2-0 lead going to the dressing room. I warned the boys that QotS would rally and though we staved off their first chances, Ian McSween drew a goal back when he headed past Steven van der Deyl after we failed to clear the ball on a corner. We had to play with our backs to the wall after that as they came at us in waves trying to equalize. We leaned heavily on van der Deyl and he came up with two match-saving stops- one on Dene Shields and one on Mark Smyth that preserved the close win for us. We played without suspended Danny Black and injured James Flood, so I count this a good result.

[Faramir]

4.12.07

Now we face the hazards of having Internationally Rated players- Danny Black will be with New Zealand for the rest of the month, playing in the Oceania Nations Cup competition. Though I am excited for Danny, we will be missing him as we face some of the toughest clubs- including Raith on the road. Still, Kevin Gaughan has been playing well when filling in and offers us a solid veteran presence.

***

8.12.07

East Stirling (1) Berwick (0) Scottish Cup 2nd round

It was a difficult match against a determined Berwick, but we caught a break to open the second half and that was enough to move us on in the competition. After a lackluster first half that saw few chances by either side, we earned a free kick in the opening moments of the second half. Stephen Hindmarch, who had come on for slightly injured Ross O'Donoghue, drilled a 30 yard free kick that was deflected by Berwick's Euan Robertson. The radical change of direction saw keeper Ben Hamer stranded as he had been moving the other way and the ball rolled into the net for the lone goal of the match. Berwick picked up the pace of their attack but Mark Peat earned his clean sheet with a solid performance. Hamer made a pair of saves to keep his club in the match, but we were moving on when the final whistle sounded on our taut 1-0 win.

[Faramir]

9.12.07

Our Scottish Cup draw found a significantly tougher opponent for us in the 3rd round as we will host SPL Hibs at Firs Park.

***

12.12.07

The timing is too good to be coincidental. Raith apparently leaked to the press that they would be very interested in adding Adrian Nevins to their club. I issued a 'hands off' warning, but did so with the realization that an ambitious Adrian might not be all that happy with it. Adrian promptly commented that he had 'done all that he could at East Stirling and that he owed it to himself to be open to opportunities at higher levels- including Raith." All this on the eve of our important trip to Raith- coincidence, I think not. There is no way I will sell Adrian to Raith- not with them being one of our biggest rivals in the Division. If a club from Division 1 or SPL comes calling with enough cash, I will have to give it a good listen, but otherwise he isn't leaving just yet.

[Faramir]

15.12.07

Raith (2) East Stirling (1)

Raith continues to be a nemesis to us as we lost another close one to them. This time the problem was that Steven van der Deyl had an uncharacteristically poor first half. The first goal wasn't van der Deyl's fault though as Raith played a tic-tac-toe passing sequence that saw Paul McLeod with plenty of space to drive the ball into the right side of the net. The goal that was the problem was a 30 yard blast from Gregor Balazic. I was pleased with our heart- as we fought back despite having played poorly in falling behind 2-0 and Michele Lombardi, who earned MOM honours, scored late in the first half to give us life. We just couldn't find a way to score in the second half and it was a tired, wet and disappointed club that headed back home after the loss.

[Faramir]

20.12.07

It was an interesting day for myself. On one hand I was back commenting in the press- answering more Raith rumours- this time about them purchasing Steve McDonald. Not that I plan to sell Steve, especially to Raith, but I did say that every player has his price.

The more pleasing news came from New Zealand as Danny Black notched his 1st International goal against Papua New Guinea. Danny scored on a booming free kick and Mick Waitt praised him up and down for his performance today.

[Faramir]

22.12.07

East Stirling (4) Stirling (0)

Stirling had no answers today as we attacked them in every manner possible and rolled over them for a convincing 4-0 derby win. Our first two goals seemed very out of character for our club. Steve McDonald fired in a cross and Kenny McLean took advantage of the marking on Michele Lombardi to come in behind him and flick a header past James Blanchard. We scored again only a few minutes later as Lee Sichi whipped in a cross from the left sideline and Lombardi deflected it into the right side of the net. Lombardi then made it a brace with a brilliant move with the ball after a Mick O'Brien through ball. Lombardi slipped his shot inside the right post to gain us a 3-0 halftime lead. Stirling never threatened to rally and we added one more goal when O'Brien blasted a 25 yard free kick past Blanchard to cap the 4-0 win.

It was a good day all around when we heard that Danny Black had scored his 2nd International goal in his 10th Cap as New Zealand defeated Samoa 3-0.

Division 2 Table- 18 matches played, midpoint of season

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Raith 37 pts (+12)

2- East Stirling 33 pts (+18)

3- Queen of South 33 pts (+16)

4- Hamilton 32 pts (+11)

5- Alloa 27 pts (0)

6- Queens Park 26 pts (+4)

</pre>

[Faramir]

23.12.07

Difficult decisions are coming soon, but they are the kind of decisions every manager would like. Do I stay with Michele Lombardi at forward? Lombardi's two goals against Stirling moved him up to our leading scorer with 8 goals and he has by far the best average rating on our side. James Flood is about ready to return from injury. Steve McDonald, despite being nettled about the transfer talk, has been steady and dangerous as always. Steve Lewis continues to show flashes of immense talent, but I need to nurse him along into the role and I don't believe he is quite ready yet- though he has played well as a gameday sub and bringing his explosive pace into a match against a tired backline is a scary proposition for opposing managers. Derek Anderson will be joining us as well after the transfer window opens in January and James Frayne has given us glimpses of his developing talent as well. The depth is wonderful, but the problem is how to keep them all happy?

***

24.12.07

In a first for the selections committee- All four of our backline were selected to the Players Team of the Week. Joining Carl Laurie, Adrian Nevins, Kevin Gaughan and Ryan Carr on the team were Michele Lombardi, Lee Sichi, Mick O'Brien and Kenny McLean as East Stirling dominated the team with 8 players.

[Faramir]

26.12.07

Hamilton (1) East Stirling (3)

In what I consider a huge win for our side, we played excellent defense and outlasted Hamilton to win an important 3-1 road victory to begin the second half of the season. James Flood struck for a pair of goals in a three minute span to celebrate his return to the lineup. The first came when Hamilton keeper Peter Shaw bobbled a badly played backpass well out of his area and Flood was right on top of him to pick up the ball and then take it around him before slotting a 25 yard shot into the net. A deft pass from Paul Weaver set Flood up with space in the area minutes later and he hit the upper right hand corner with his shot. We promptly gave them a goal back as a poor pass from Lee Sichi set them up nicely for a counter-attack and Stuart Irons finished it off by pushing the ball past Steven van der Deyl to narrow the halftime margin to 2-1. The start of the second half was taut as they overran our midfield. Our backline, anchored by Adrian Nevins and Kevin Gaughan was up to the challenge though and we made timely tackles many times in the second half. A couple times van der Deyl had to come up with key saves, but we finally broke their will when Michele Lombardi rapped home a shot into the left side of the net late in the half after a nice touch pass from Flood. It was an important result for us, as we have space with 4 points over Hamilton in the table now.

[Faramir]

26.12.06

Notts County Knifes Hill

Notts County continued their winning ways as they took advantage of the lack of first line players for Harrow Hill and their continued poor backline play to score a 2-0 win at Larksfield Road. Hill was off to a solid start and had the best chance of early play as they sent Matthew Hampson in free, but Kevin Pilkington made the save, parrying away the shot. Notts County took the lead when Liam Needham sent a long cross and Andy White, unmarked as Lewis Tozer completely lost track of him, deflected it past Paul Catley. Hill was hanging tough early in the second half until Tozer, capping an awful match, sent a backpass skimming past Catley for an own-goal to give them a 2-0 lead. Hill lacked the firepower to get back into the match against the determined Notts County defense and they closed out Hill's poor effort.

Heartwood just shook his head, "That was a brutal performance."

"Without our first line players, we just couldn't stay with a club as good as Notts County," replied Pearson.

"Well, 15th place at midseason. It could be worse given our lack of scoring, but we haven't found any consistency at all."

"We just need to get the midfield working, it would help free the forwards."

[Faramir]

2.1.08

In a surprise, Kevin Gaughan collected Division 2 Player of the Month honours. Gaughan, filling in for Danny Black while he was playing for New Zealand all month, made the most of chance with a string of excellent performances. Adrian Nevins was 2nd in the balloting. Ryan Carr beat out Raith's Gregor Balazic to capture the Young Player of the Month honours= a nice reflection of the good month we had.

***

2.1.08

The opening of the transfer window meant the departure of Gary Twigg (to Forest Green for 2K) and John Paul McBride (to Grays for 1K) and the arrival of 20 year ST Derek Anderson (from Hamilton for 1K). Anderson will go into the starting lineup as we face Hibs in our Scottish Cup match because I want to rest the other forwards (will be paired with Michele Lombardi).

***

4.1.08

The opening of the transfer window also brought a rash of offers for our players. Drawing the most interest were Paul Weaver, Adrian Nevins, Lee Sichi and Mark Gourlay. I turned down any offers from clubs in our division (mainly from Hamilton and Raith) and counter offered deals that I felt were fairer in terms of transfer amounts to those clubs that offered for Nevins and Weaver (both of whom are ambitious).

[Faramir]

5.1.08

East Stirling (0) Hibernian (2) Scottish Cup 3rd round

We had to play mistake free football and have good work in the goal to have a chance against the Hibs, but Steven van der Deyl didn't live up to his end of the bargain as we fell to a superior side 2-0. Hibs showed us early and often that they were much quicker than us and much more precise in their ball movement. Still, their first goal was one that Steven stops 9 times out of 10- a 25 yard curling shot from Derek Riordan that eluded him and provided the visitors with an early 1-0 lead. They added to that lead when Ivan Kaviedes lofted a 25 yard shot that sailed past a stranded van der Deyl to send them ahead 2-0. Even our best chances were plagued by bad luck as Steve Lewis, on for Derek Anderson- who had a difficult debut, sailed in and fired, but his hard shot carromed back off the left post. They were the better side in the match and deserved to move on.

[Faramir]

12.1.08

Stranraer (1) East Stirling (6)

I don't think I have seen a bigger second half collapse than Stranraer demonstrated today. After battling us in a spirited first half that saw us go to the locker room ahead 1-0, they completely lost heart when we scored our second goal and we destroyed them from that point on. Steve McDonald had given us the lead in the first half when he converted a penalty kick for his 10th goal of the season after Ben Goodchild tripped Lee Sichi in the area. McDonald sent a burning cross in that James Flood deflected past Jim Evans when Evans challenged him for the ball. It was Flood's 10th goal of the season and Stranraer's death knell. Kenny McLean added a goal on a cross from McDonald, before McDonald left for Steve Lewis. Sichi crossed and Lewis volleyed it past struggling Evans to make it 4-0. Lewis then made it two for the match as Sichi laid the ball off for him. McLean then scored another screamer on an Adrian Nevins cross and it was 6-0. Capping this bizarre match, Evans scored a freak goal as Steven van der Deyl got caught in no-man's land when he went out to try and retrieve a long goal kick from Evans- only to see it bounce crazily over his head and settle into the goal behind him. The lone sour note was the loss of Mick O'Brien to fractured ribs- he won't be back for anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months depending on the healing process.

[Faramir]

14.1.08

The synthesis of a difficult decision is a very good transfer offer for a player you don't want to lose. Ross County offered me 110K, a 50% sell-on clause and accepting a friendly for Paul Weaver. Weaver has really played well for us- despite our fans thinking he might stir up trouble when we initially purchased him. Paul is also very ambitious and what finally led me to accepting the offer was the likelihood that he would be rather unhappy if turned down and that might keep him from playing at the level he has established here. So, take the money and run for us- if Paul wants to go there. I have small bids on two other central midfielders I have liked for awhile and am ready to use Adam Tiran in the starting lineup in Weaver's role.

***

18.1.08

The first transfer I had been working on turned out in our favor as 20 year old MC Chris Hamilton accepted our contract offer over 7 others he had. It cost us a mere 1K to add Hamilton from Livingston and he is a well balanced midfielder- in many ways similar to Paul Weaver except stronger and faster.

[Faramir]

19.1.08

East Stirling (5) Alloa (1)

It was all Steve McDonald today as he carried us to an easy win with a sensational 5-goal match. McDonald had plenty of help- including James Flood as Flood was the architect of both his first two goals. McDonald scored both of them on nice moves after Flood made long passes that found him with space. Early in the second half Alloa made a match of it again as Robert Sloan converted the penalty kick after Kevin Gaughan was called for pushing Ross Hamilton in the area. We shrugged off that goal as Flood set up McDonald to polish off his hat-trick with a flick header past Grant Carson. McDonald scored our last two goals on penalty kicks as first Scott Fusco and then Andy Ross were called for holding in the area. McDonalds' 5th goal of the match was also his 15th of the season.

[Faramir]

26.1.08

East Stirling (2) Stenhousemuir (0)

Never give a struggling club a break is my thinking and that was exactly what we did in the first half as we went to the dressing room locked in a scoreless draw with 10th place Stenhousemuir. Fortunately for us, the second half our Firs Park faithful got to see why I was so high on Derek Anderson. Anderson made a brilliant move with the ball after a pass from Chris Hamilton (who had a good debut) and fired a shot past Jamie Ewings who was making his first start in their goal. Anderson then created the next goal as he skinned Alex McColl and forced McColl to take him down. That earned McColl a redcard and us a free kick- which Anderson promptly drilled past Ewings inside the right post. That took the last of our derby rivals' heart out of their game and we had an easy time helping Mark Peat to a clean sheet in the 2-0 win.

[Faramir]

27.1.08

I didn't really like doing so, but I completed a transfer sale of Michele Lombardi to Brechin today. Lombardi was grousing over his not being a starter and though he helped us survive our spate of injuries with some fine play- he wasn't going to be a starter here. It made sense to let him move up to Brechin for 4K with monthly payments totalling another 16K and a future sell on clause.

***

29.1.08

In an interesting turn of events, the transfer date deadline passed without Paul Weaver moving to Ross County. Apparently, they could never agree on a contract, so Paul will remain here to help us in our stretch drive. Considering the injury to Mick O'Brien- this is good news for us.

***

31.1.08

Our next five matches will have a huge impact on how we do for the season. We face:

Queen of the South

Queens Park

Stirling

Raith

Hamilton

I hope that we can continue to show we are ready to fight for a result every match.

***

1.2.08

Great news to see a deserving Steve McDonald selected as Division 2 Player of the Month. Steve has really stepped up his play of late and it was superb to see him rewarded for it.

[Faramir]

2.2.08

East Stirling (1) Queen of the South (0)

The press can talk all they want to about this being a 'comfortable' win, but in reality it was anything but that. We were fortunate to take the lead in the second minute of play when Kenny McLean volleyed a Paul Weaver corner past Colin Stewart. Fortunate because Stewart turned into a stone wall after that and there were no holes there. We kept control of the play throughout the first half and looked likely to go ahead 2-0 when Scott Laird tripped James Flood in the area and received a redcard. Stewart saved Steve McDonald's penalty kick and then McDonald had another waved off when he was ruled offside. QotS looked more organized in the second half as they had time to plan how they wanted to play with 10 men. Adrian Nevins almost turned into a goat when he handed the ball right to Anton Smith on the doorstep of our goal, but Steven van der Deyl made a brilliant reaction save to keep the ball out. I was in agony when it appeared that Iain Chisolm had slipped the equalizer past van der Deyl at 85 minutes, only to breathe a sigh of relief as he was ruled offside. We managed to keep them quiet after that in helping van der Deyl to another clean sheet and a close 1-0 win.

***

6.2.08

It is easy to second guess the choice now, but when Mick Waitt called me with the news that Danny Black had been injured in their friendly against Cambodia he was apologetic. Danny had scored his 3rd International goal and helped them to a 2-1 lead before hobbling off. I asked Mick to send him on the next flight home. The news, when examined by David Jenkins, wasn't good- might be out as long as a month.

[Faramir]

9.2.08

Queens Park (0) East Stirling (1)

Another close win that sounded 'comfortable' in the press writeup, but was anything but that on the sideline. Queens Park had problems early when Jake Stroyan received his 2nd yellow card at 27 minutes. Though we had a lot of possession, we were having difficulty turning our passing into chances. The lone goal in the match came on a laserbeam shot from Adam Tiran that caught the inside of the far left post after a super pass from Lee Sichi. With the lead, we played conservatively and led by MOM Adrian Nevins were able to help Steven van der Deyl put another clean sheet on his record.

***

12.2.08

We completed the transfer sale of young midfielder Andrew Jobes to Lincoln today. They offered 6K and that was fine with me. Jobes has shown glimpses of developing into a steady midfielder, but with his chances more limited now with our new additions, he was unhappy and more than willing to move on and we need the roster space and the money from the transfer.

[Faramir]

16.2.08

Stirling (0) East Stirling (1)

Enough of these 'comfortable' 1-0 wins that have me ready for the hospital! Still, I can't quarrel with the result as we managed to survive the gruesome driving sleet at Forthbank Stadium to edge Stirling 1-0. The lone goal in the match was a magnificent individual effort by Steve McDonald in the opening moments of the match. James Flood flicked on a clearing kick and McDonald picked the ball up going to the right side of the pitch (natural left footer) and took it from just inside midfield all the way into the area before sliding a well placed shot past John Lukic. Lukic made only that mistake as he was very steady for the home side today and yielded nothing else. Stirling had a few chances to rally, especially in a tautly played second half, but missed a couple sitters and saw Steven van der Deyl make the saves he needed to claim another clean sheet and a close win for us.

[Faramir]

23.2.08

East Stirling (2) Raith (1)

There is no doubt, Raith is our nemesis. For whatever reason, we just do not match up well with them and they certainly manage to exploit our weaknesses. It looked like we were off to another ignoble start when Kevin Gaughan was called for bumping Pat Keough in the area midway through the first half. Their young Slovenian sensation Gregor Balazic stepped up- and saw Steven van der Deyl make the save on his penalty kick. We seemed to have a bit more bounce after that and then stunned them with a quick counter-attack in first half injury time that saw James Flood volley a Steve McDonald pass past keeper John Danby to send our fans into a frenzy and give us the lead. Pat Keough is poison for our defense and he proved it again as he took a pass and then danced past attempted tackles by Gaughan and Adrian Nevins before slipping the equalizer past van der Deyl. Both sides wanted the match badly and it was up and down the pitch action. We took advantage of a late corner when Andrew Reilly sent a bullet cross into the area and Chris Hamilton deflected it past Danby to give us the lead at 84 minutes. We had to survive a furious rally on their part, but the final whistle found us still clinging to the 2-1 margin and we had our first win over Raith in almost two years. With the win, East Stirling established a new club record of 7 straight wins.

***

23.2.08

The win over Raith was a huge one to close the third turn of the season. With 9 matches remaining, we now have moved significantly ahead of Raith. I have been tuning the club trying to be ready for this final stretch run- now I have to hope we are ready.

Scottish Division 2- 27 matches played 9 remaining

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- East Stirling 60 pts (+37)

2- Raith 54 pts (+24)

3- Queen of South 48 pts (+23)

4- Hamilton 48 pts (+20)

5- Queens Park 43 pts (+8)

6- Alloa 39 pts (-4)

</pre>

[Faramir]

1.3.08

East Stirling (3) Hamilton (2)

We started fine in this key match, but Hamilton took a 2-1 halftime lead and forced us to battle back for a good 3-2 fightback win. An error by defender Adrian Madaschi gave us the lead as he deflected a sizzling cross from Steve McDonald past his own keeper Andrew Reid. We didn't keep that lead long as Stevie Aitken smashed a 30 yard rising blast by Steven van der Deyl. They took the lead late in the first half when Charlie Adam rose above Daniel Simpson and deflected a cross from Simon Lynch into the goal. I told the boys to keep working at it. It was a great boost when Lee Sichi picked a great time to score his 1st goal of the season as he scorched a 25 yard free kick past Reid. The match-winner came at 82 minutes when Steve Lewis showed his quickness by getting to a loose ball and hooking it past the desperately sliding Reid. Only a huge save from van der Deyl kept Hamilton from rallying as he pushed a header by Lynch over the bar.

[Faramir]

8.3.08

Peterhead (1) East Stirling (3)

A strong second half, after a lacklustre first half, earned us a 3-1 road victory over Peterhead. Derek Anderson made a dazzling move and goal past two defenders after Chris Hamilton slipped a pass through to him. Peterhead equalized midway through the half when Neil Mallor flicked a heder past Steven van der Deyl. They helped us out and gave us breathing room in the second half as William Soutar deflected it into his own net. We put the match away as James Flood took a skipping cross from Andrew Reilly and converted it into a goal- his 50th at East Stirling.

[Faramir]

15.3.08

East Stirling (3) Stranraer (1)

The first half we didn't bear any resemblence to the club that has climbed to the top of Division 2. We couldn't do much right and went to halftime down 1-0 after Danny Black- making his return after being off a month with injury- missed a tackle on Scott McLean and McLean made us pay as he fired the ball past Mark Peat. We had possession in the first half, but we weren't turning it into chances. That changed in the second half. Steve Lewis was the catalyst for the equalizer as Adam Holbrook was forced to trip him in the area. Steve McDonald stepped up and whipped the penalty kick past Ian Wilkinson and it was 1-1 in the opening moments of the second half. Stranaer wasn't the same side in the second half after losing Scott McLean to injury and when we finally took the lead, they were very dispirited. Lewis was the architect with a quick cross that McDonald flicked past Wilkinson for his 50th goal at East Stirling. McDonald then finished off his hat-trick as Chris Hamilton chipped him a pass and he snapped it past Wilkinson inside the right post. That goal finished the determination of the visitors and we closed the remainder of the 3-1 win out quietly. The win clinched us at least a Playoff spot for the season, but our goal of winning Division 2 seems even closer after Hamilton edged Raith 1-0 in front of Raith's disappointed faithful.

Division 2 Table- 30 Matches played 6 Remaining

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- East Stirling 69 pts (+42)

2- Raith 60 pts (+26)

3- Hamilton 54 pts (+22)

4- Queen of South 52 pts (+25)

5- Queens Park 49 pts (+8)

6- Alloa 40 pts (-12)

</pre>

[Faramir]

16.3.08

Dundee United repeated as League Cup winners after they defeated Hearts in penalty thriller. The two sides were even at 2-2 to bring the match to the penalty shoot-out.

***

22.3.08

East Stirling (1) Queens Park (0)

Another match where we controlled much of the play, but didn't have more than a smidgin of finishing. Fortunately, the smidgin was enough to get us another win as Kenny McLean knocked in a rebound in a wild scramble in the first half for the only goal of the game. Our offense was knocked out of kilter when Steve McDonald had to leave with an injury in the opening moments of the match. MOM Paul Weaver and Chris Hamilton did an excellent job in the central midfield as they policed up the Queens Park breakout passes and did a nice job gaining us scoring opportunities. McDonald suffered a badly wrenched jaw and may miss the next couple weeks as we head into the crucial stretch of the schedule.

[Faramir]

23.3.08

The loss of McDonald is a bad one at this point of the season. Not only do we lose our leading scorer- but he is also one of the team leaders. I do feel good that we have Derek Anderson to take his place in the lineup. With 4 of our last 5 matches on the road- and the last match of the season at Raith- we need to try to get good results in these next two matches. I don't want to come down to that final match against Raith with the title on the line- we just have a difficult time playing them and it is worse at Stark's Park.

***

29.4.08

Stenhousemuir (0) East Stirling (0)

This was a match we dearly wanted to win- not only because it was a derby match- but because this is the last place, most woeful club in Division 2. Despite our efforts, and we did play a fine match, Jamie Ewings was brilliant in earning MOM honours and Stenhousemuir staved us off to battle to a scoreless draw. It appeared that Stenhousemuir was set to take the lead in the opening moments as Carl Laurie was called for a push in the area, but Steven van der Deyl saved Kevin Gilligan's penalty kick to give all of our club a boost. We kept the pressure on them following that miss, but just could not find a way to get the ball into the goal past Ewings. He had ample help from his backline as they did a nice job of clearing away rebounds. The draw is doubly stinging as Raith won 2-1 to move within 7 points of us.

[Wimb The Barman]

Heh just caught up with this story, good stuff think the squad would survive such a rapid assent?

[Faramir]

Thanks Wimb -- just have to see on the squad

***

1.4.08

It was great to see Kevin Gaughan selected as Division 2 Player of the Month for March. Kevin has done a fine job when we have called on him and is a bedrock in our dressing room.

***

5.4.08

Alloa (0) East Stirling (2)

It's here! I couldn't believe it- nor could the players- when we heard the news that Raith had fallen 3-1 at Peterhead. We have won Division 2! The match was a testament to the determination of the club. After not getting it done against Stenhousemuir last week the players all were keen to gain a win here. Milan Barjaktarevic kept us from scoring a couple times in the opening moments with fine saves. He had assistance from his backline which cleared two balls off the line as well. Despite that, we kept coming forward and it finally paid off when Kenny McLean scooted down the right and made a brilliant cross that Derek Anderson was able to deflect past Barjaktarevic. Though we only led 1-0 at halftime, I could see the boys weren't going to letdown- not today. Though we were playing a bit more conservatively- at my insistence- we counter-attacked effectively and came close twice more. We took a lot of heart away from the home side when Lee Sichi boomed a 25 yard blast following a Paul Weaver corner to make it 2-0. Our midfield and backline did a nice job of supporting Steven van der Deyl all match, but van der Deyl was forced to earn his clean sheet with a pair of brilliant saves in the last 10 minutes of the match. The final whistle found us quickly moving to the dressing room to listen to the waning moments of the Raith match. When their final whistle sounded- the players and staff all went back out onto the pitch- Alloa officials graciously allowed us to do so- and celebrated with our faithful who had come to the match. It was quite a celebration.

[Faramir]

10.4.08

I guess it is kind of a double for us, as our Reserve side is the Champions of Group 2 Reserves. This speaks well of Brendan O'Connell's efforts as he has managed the Reserves since joining me as Assistant Manager.

***

12.4.08

Queen of the South (3) East Stirling (1)

Our 16 match unbeaten string went by the wayside as our midfield and backline gave young Scott Gallacher little help in his debut and we fell 3-1 to a determined Queen of the South effort. Of course, the match meant a lot more to them and we were playing mostly our 2nd line players, but that isn't an excuse. Danny Black gave us the lead in the opening moments of the match as he converted a penalty kick past Colin Stewart after Mark Dempsie tripped Steve Lewis in the area. They pegged us back shortly after as Anton Smith blazed up the left side of the pitch between Steven Rennie and Daniel Simpson and blistered a shot past Gallacher. We went to halftime even at 1-1 and I hoped that we would show more cohesion in the second half- but that wasn't to be. Kieran Lee made a terrible backpass trying to send the ball to Ryan Carr and instead sending it Smith. Smith, with plenty of time as we had no one near him, swooped in and fired it past Gallacher for his 2nd goal of the match. They put the icing on the match when Dene Shields slipped unmarked between Black and Rennie on a late free kick and flicked a header past Gallacher. It was a disappointing effort on our part.

[AllandShearer]

are u doing eny more with East Stirling and good luck if u are

[Faramir]

AllandShearer- well, there are years to run on this story yet, so yes the ES saga continues

***

19.4.08

East Stirling (4) Stirling (0)

We celebrated our last home match of the season with mostly 2nd liners romping over derby foe Stirling as we added to their woes with a crushing 4-0 win. James Frayne showed some inspired play in the early going as he ran down a loose ball on the left side and flicked a cross back to the middle that Andrew Reilly deflected past John Lukic for his 1st goal at East Stirling. Danny Black, who earned MOM honours, then showed his improving prowess at free kicks by hooking a lighting 25 yard blast into the left side of the net. Stirling swapped out a despondant Lukic and brought on Gareth Jones in goal. Jones fared little better in the second half as Frayne made a slashing move with the ball past Jamie McKenzie and fired it inside the right post to make it 3-0. Stephen Dymock, despite struggling with a slight injury capped a fine debut by driving home a rebound after Jones parried away a shot from Steve Lewis in the waning moments of the match to cap the resounding 4-0 win. Scott Gallacher earned his 1st clean sheet in the win.

[Faramir]

26.4.08

Raith (1) East Stirling (0)

It was an uninspired match that we lost to Raith- as the match meant nothing to either side. The only goal in the match came from a swerving 25 yard free kick by Paul MacAloney late in the first half. We had some chances to even things in the second half, but Peter Sale missed over the net and John Danby earned his clean sheet by saving a difficult shot from James Frayne. Overall, we did not play our best in this match, but I did see more improvement in keeper Scott Gallacher, who started his 3rd straight match, as he may move in to the number 2 keeper role next season.

[Faramir]

27.4.08

After receiving the 110,000 for winning Division 2, a quick summary of the club's status finds-

Finances:

Balance- 604,000 (in black)

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Stats:

GK

Steven van der Deyl 28 apps 22 conceded 11 clean 1 MOM 7.39

Mark Peat 11 apps 9 conceded 4 clean 0 MOM 7.18

Scott Gallacher 3 apps 4 conceded 1 clean 0 MOM 7.00

DR

Carl Laurie 29 apps 0 goals 0 assts 1 MOM 7.03

Daniel Simpson 23 apps 0 goals 1 asst 0 MOM 7.13

DL

Mark Gourlay 24 apps 0 goals 2 assts 1 MOM 7.46

Ryan Carr 17 apps 0 goals 1 asst 0 MOM 7.35

DC

Adrian Nevins 28 apps 0 goals 2 assts 2 MOM 7.39

Danny Black 23 apps 2 goals 1 asst 1 MOM 7.35

Kevin Gaughan 29 apps 0 goals 0 assts 2 MOM 7.34

Steven Rennie 11 apps 0 goals 0 assts 1 MOM 7.09

MR

Kenny McLean 24 apps 7 goals 4 assts 2 MOM 7.25

Adam Tiran 33 apps 3 goals 5 assts 1 MOM 7.03

Marc Cameron 10 apps 0 goals 3 assts 0 MOM 7.00

ML

Lee Sichi 31 apps 2 goals 9 assts 4 MOM 7.32

Andrew Reilly 17 apps 1 goal 4 assts 2 MOM 6.94

Keiran Lee 9 apps 0 goals 0 assts 0 MOM 6.89

MC

Chris Hamilton 11 apps 1 goal 3 assts 0 MOM 7.45

Paul Weaver 26 apps 3 goals 6 assts 3 MOM 7.38

Mick O'Brien 21 apps 2 goals 2 assts 2 MOM 7.33

Stephen Hindmarch 10 apps 3 goals 1 asst 0 MOM 7.20

Ross O'Donoghue 6 apps 0 goals 0 assts 0 MOM 6.50

John Adam 8 apps 0 goals 0 assts 0 MOM 6.88

Peter Sale 2 apps 0 goals 0 assts 0 MOM 7.50

SC

Steve McDonald 23 apps 19 goals 6 assts 5 MOM 7.22

James Flood 24 apps 12 goals 8 assts 1 MOM 7.29

Steve Lewis 22 apps 8 goals 6 assts 2 MOM 7.00

Derek Anderson 10 apps 4 goals 0 assts 1 MOM 6.90

James Frayne 15 apps 2 goals 1 asst 1 MOM 6.73

Stephen Dymock 2 apps 1 goal 2 assts 0 MOM 7.00

</pre>

[Heward]

Keep it up. I too am on an East Stirling adventure as well at the minute. 2009/10 season and I'm mid-table in Division 1. A few playoff heart-breaks set me back a few seasons. Just won the challenge cup!

[Spav]

Congratulations on the promotion to Division One, Faramir.

I know you play your games further ahead of where you have currently written to, so I like to imagaine that you're currently in the Premier League and East Stirling are challenging the Old Firm for the superiority of Scottish football.

[Faramir]

Heward- Thanks, sounds like you are doing well with them

Spav- Um, no comment (pretty good guessing though )

***

13.5.08

Stenhousemuir survived a 2nd straight relegation playoff to stay in Division 2. Raith lost in the playoff for the 2nd straight year and Hamilton and Queen of the South will be battling to return to Division 1 with us. Relegated from Division 1 are Gretna and Brechin.

We had 4 players selected as starters on the Division 2 Players Select Team:

GK- Steven van der Deyl

DR- Carl Laurie

DC- Adrian Nevins

ML- Lee Sichi

Hamilton's Simon Lynch just beat out Lee Sichi for Division 2 Player of the Year.

***

14.5.08

Real Madrid edged Ajax 2-1 in Extra-Time to capture the Champions Cup.

Queen of the South defeated Hamilton to gain the other promotion to Division 1.

[Faramir]

25.5.08

The Board offered me a choice of budgets and after reviewing each of them, I chose the middle road- with a transfer fund of 60K to start with and a weekly budget of 6.5K. Considering our current weekly budget is 3.25K/week and taking into account a couple upcoming signings- we should still be well under that budget to begin with. This route seemed to offer the most flexibility to fine tune the squad going into next season.

***

30.5.08

It is easy to start getting a sense that Steve Lewis is going to be a very sought after youngster. Gretna offered me cash plus established midfielders Paul Rudden, Kevin Barkey (yes the same Kevin Barkey I sold to them) and promising young keeper Ray Jellema for Lewis. Beyond the fact of the huge increase in wages it would take me to sign those players, there is no way I am giving up Lewis- still the best young striker I have seen. I fully expect Lewis to start blossoming further this year and he is currently under long-term contract with us, so won't be going anywhere unless I get a seriously overwhelming offer.

[Faramir]

1.6.08

The opening of the transfer window allowed us to complete our pair of transfer purchases made about awhile ago. 21 year old MC Steven McManus is a very solid midfielder and comes to us after a 1K transfer offer was accepted by Ross County. McManus is tireless and a tenacious midfielder, but lacks offensive polish- resembling Mick O'Brien, but with a bit better skills. I originally put a bid in on him because I was certain we were losing Paul Weaver. Now that Weaver is still here, we have a bit of a jam in the midfield- but that is the kind of problem I don't mind because it will sort itself out. Our other purchase also only cost us 1K and is a player I am very excited about adding. 20 year old AMRC,FC Daryl Savage joins us from Dundee- but originally came out of the Liverpool youth program. The fleet Savage adds pace and versatility to help us both up the right wing or at forward. Both players have heftier contracts than most of ours and hopefully that will not stir up the clubhouse.

***

1.6.08

The first quandry of the summer has arrived, as Kilmarnock offered us 725K and a friendly for Adrian Nevins. Nevins had privately expressed that he thought he had accomplished everything that he could at our club as early as March of last season and though he never spoke out publicly, he was clearly unhappy and desired to move up. Though I would love to keep him and losing him will create problems for us- this offer is more than we have currently in our balance book. The size of the offer and the fact that Nevins badly wants to move dictate that I have to- regretfully- accept the offer. I don't think it will take them long to work out a contract, so that should still give me time to explore replacing him- though for the moment the alternative of starting Kevin Gaughan regularly isn't a bad one.

[Faramir]

2.6.08

A couple of minor transfer sales as we let both Stuart McGrady and Stephen Dymock go to Maidstone on free transfer. Dymock was leaving anyway as soon as his contract expired, but McGrady had been on the transfer list all last season- so both he and us were glad to see him find a new club.

***

3.6.08

We are a lot better off cash-wise, but a lot poorer off team-wise as Adrian Nevins moved on to Kilmarnock. It is hard to argue with the boost in cash as we now are at 1.3 Million and a dramatic increase in transfer funds.

***

7.6.08

Another minor transfer sale for us unhappy midfielder John Adam will move to Queens Park for 1K. Adam never managed to firmly lodge himself in our regulars, so is finally happy to move to a club that may be more accomodating.

[Faramir]

11.6.08

Now what?

Kilmarnock wasn't content just raiding us for Adrian Nevins, as they also came through with a 725K bid for Steve McDonald. The decision on this one wasn't as clear as with Nevins and that makes it more difficult.

On the keep him side- McDonald is a valuable left footed forward and has been a team leader since arriving here. He carried us through last season to promotion. His proven goal scoring ability has been a constant since I managed to pluck him away from Accrington on free transfer in my first year.

On the sell-now side of the ledger are similarities to Nevins. Steve is ambitious and very keen to be recognized, so turning down the opportunity could lead to problems- though he has been much more low-key than Nevins about his ambition. Another key consideration is that the offer is so far above his rated amount as to be overwhelming. This isn't to say he isn't worth that much, but I really was surprised to see an offer this big come on him. Lurking behind the scenes of this offer is the fact that I fully intended to begin giving Steve Lewis a bigger role up front next season- and though I thought that might be at the expense of James Flood- this generous offer may be the proper way to address that goal. With the addition of Daryl Savage, we have another promising forward in the depth chart, which I must take into account.

A sleepless night left me with an early morning call to Kilmarnock to accept the offer and allow them to begin negotiations with Steve.

***

14.6.08

Hearts came inquiring about Steve Lewis, but they were quickly told he was not for sale.

***

15.6.08

The paperwork was completed today and Kilmarnock proudly announced the addition of Steve McDonald. It was a bittersweet parting for one of the club's leaders, but he certainly earned the opportunity to play at a bigger, more respected club. The papers and websites decried the sale, but all of them also spoke of the fiscal responsibility in building the club and agreed we were now on firmer ground than at any time in the past.

The sale leaves the balance sheet looking swelled, as we are now over 2 Million in the black. Due to the money available from both large sales, we also have a transfer fund of over 1 Million in play. Our weekly wages are now at 3,850/week and the Board has generously allowed an increase in up to 15K/week in the budget due to the improved bottom line. Though I will consider the possibility of other purchases, I don't really see us making any 'big' purchases. Instead, I plan on continuing to look for value that is available at low cost- because the 'buy-lo, sell-high' strategy is what has put us on such firm financial footing. Though I would really like to add a bit more depth to the club, I am not afraid to make our first season campaign with the club on hand now.

[Faramir]

16.6.08

We did make a minor free transfer signing as we inked 17 year old DC Nick Vaughn to a youth contract. Vaughn, who was released by Brechin, will move on to our Under-19 side and pair with Peter Tomlinson.

***

18.6.08

Today we added another youngster, as we completed the 1K transfer purchase of 16 year old DRL Jamie Ford from Cowdenbeath. Ford impressed our scouts with his potential and will begin play on our Under-19 side as we attempt to develop a youth backline together as a unit.

***

19.6.08

The Board told me in a private meeting that their only expectations for this season are to battle bravely against being relegated. They did tell me they appreciated the way I was balancing the business of football with the management of the club.

***

19.6.08

England defeated France 2-0 in the European Championships Quarterfinal, thanks to goals from Wayne Rooney and Joe Cole in a closely played match.

***

21.6.08

In a move designed to lessen our worries about depth at forward for the season, we worked out a year long loan of Dundee United's promising 19 year old SC Curtis Allen. Though I will favor our signed players, having a youngster the caliber of Allen will help ensure we don't run into lack of cover.